


Mall

by yeaka



Category: Being John Malkovich (1999)
Genre: F/F, Vignette, mentions of pet play
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-25 03:49:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14968472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeaka/pseuds/yeaka
Summary: Maxine and Lotte go shopping.





	Mall

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Being John Malkovich or any of its contents, and I’m not making any money off this.

They’re technically there for _Emily_ , buying more clothes for their ever-growing girl while she’s busy at school, but it doesn’t stop Maxine’s eyes from trailing every designer store they pass. There was a time, though brief and fleeting, where she could’ve had every one of those displays—strutted right in and had the attendants wait on her hand and foot. She squeezes the soft hand entwined inside her fingers, and that reminds her that she made the right decision, that none of that was worth it. She still stops before a low-cut silk dress, patterned in red and black. Lotte stops beside her, commenting idly, “That’s nice.”

Maxine grins, because she knows that’s not what Lotte _really_ thinks—it’s not her style at all. But she’d love to peel it off of Maxine’s body, and she knows that Maxine can work _anything_. Maxine considers dipping into the polished boutique, but her lingering must give her away, because Lotte adds, “We probably can’t afford it...”

Maxine sighs, “I know,” and comforts herself with the knowledge that all of Lotte’s penny-pinching will lead Emily to an amazing college one day. And maybe her responsible, thoughtful parents will make her life easier, and she’ll grow up less fucked up than her two troublesome moms. 

The large department store they came for is at the end of the mall’s long hallway, but Maxine isn’t at all surprised when Lotte stops them next, hovering outside a shabby pet store. Every time they drive out here, Lotte falls for all the same things—like she does any time a shaggy dog passes by them or she spots a new bird in the park. Eyeing the elaborate rat cage in the window, Lotte all but moans, “Oh, we really should get a pet. It’s good to grow up around animals; it teaches compassion and responsibility and all sorts of things...”

“Unlike our good for nothing cat,” Maxine surmises, to which Lotte scowls and elbows her gently. In truth, she wouldn’t mind a rat or two—at least those seem more up her alley than a messy puppy. But she knows Lotte would go too big with it, and they’d wind up with dozens of loose rodents all over their house.

“Molly’s nice enough, but cats are so independent. I’m thinking of a playmate for Emily; you know, one that’s really attached to her that she can get attached to too...” Or for _her_. Maxine still lets herself be tugged inside, but she tries to steer Lotte down the accessory isle rather than the large glass enclosures full of slobbering dogs. No matter how big they are, the cages still look too small, but that’s not an argument to get into with Lotte. Lotte reaches out to touch the chew toys as they walk slowly by, asking with a hint of a pout, “Why not just one dog? Or a chinchilla, perhaps...”

“Because any one thing we get will turn into ten, and I have enough trouble getting out the strays you bring in. You’d have us living in a zoo if you could.”

Maxine’s steps dawdle by the wall of leashes. They’re alone in the isle, and Lotte comes right up to insist, “What’s wrong with that? How could you not want cute pets around to love you?”

Selecting a black faux-leather piece with shallow metal studs, Maxine turns to her wife. As soon as she’s pressed the thick material to Lotte’s collar, the pleading look in Lotte’s pretty eyes flickers into something else. 

Maxine takes her time doing up the collar, fastening it in its farthest hole, loose enough to breathe but still snug against Lotte’s slender throat. As she works, Maxine murmurs, “I already have a beautiful pet.” There’s a silver loop in the front that rests against Lotte’s collarbone, presumably where the pet’s name and owner would go. Maxine loops her index finger inside it and tugs Lotte a fraction closer. She adds in a low purr, “One that _adores_ me.”

That’s all it takes to captivate her Lotte. All the light, playful banter of their shopping trip seeps away, replaced in thick swabs of unadulterated _lust_. Maxine can still remember the first time she saw that longing in Lotte’s eyes, and it’s every bit as powerful now, with rings on their fingers and years of love behind them. 

When Maxine pulls Lotte in the rest of the way, Lotte obediently moves, until they’re meeting in the middle for a kiss that Maxine has to fight to keep chaste. She can’t believe she never thought of this before. They’ve always been adventurous in the bedroom. And Lotte’s all about animals. It would only make sense to get Lotte in a collar, maybe even add a leash, and parade her around on all fours. 

“How about we buy a few things for my good girl?” Maxine suggests, cooing it across Lotte’s lips, phrasing it like a question even though she knows that Lotte’s putty in her hands. Lotte smiles at her and tilts up, clearly wanting another kiss. Maxine rewards her with it.

They buy the collar and a leash, and both of them are happy.


End file.
